Page 102 of The Freedom in Captivity

Rafael reaches into his pocket and pulls out a knife. “I really like how blades drag the pain out. In fact, just the other day, I had a certain doctor in a similar position as you. He gave Isabelle her scars, so I marked some of my own.” For the little I know about the easy-going Corsetti, this side of him surprises me. I hadn’t known Rafael was capable of such a psychopathic grin. “You had Isabelle’s father killed.”

Despite the pain Rafael’s a breath away from inflicting, Dad stupidly rolls his eyes. “Fucking good-for-nothing mercenaries. They were supposed to take out both Haynes.”

Clearly not the wisest for Dad to say, because Rafael slices a line down Dad’s cheek, making him flinch. Then Rafael does it to his other cheek, before repositioning the blade to the centre of his chest.

My stomach lurches, bile rising to the top of my throat.

“I promisedma belleyou’d pay for her father’s death. And this is me keeping that promise.” He continues sliding the knife toward Dad’s arm, over his wrist, and pauses right where his fingers curl around the armrests’ edges.

“No.” Dad curls his fingers tighter, stretching his skin. “Please.”

“Please,”Rafael repeats in an icy tone. “Please only gets you so far. Uncurl your fingers or I’ll do it for you.”

Dad doesn’t listen. Not right away. He looks to me as one finger unfolds, and then another, and slowly another, his throat moving with a heavy swallow. “Is this what you wanted, Roz?Thisis what you signed up for?”

I look to the floor as the guilt makes my chest tighter.

Slice.

Dad’s scream is a sound I’ll hear in my nightmares. I force air through my lungs, but all I smell is blood and panic.

He deserves this. He deserves this. He deserves—

Slice.Another finger. The body part falls to the floor, seeming louder than it is.

I don’t look at him. I barely even hear him since the blood rushing through my ears masks everything else. But I feel him. Flynn moves beside me, his very being drawing my attention up again. His hand brushes the back of mine, a question in his touch.

Are you okay?

I’m not sure I can answer that. Dad deserves all of this. Hell, wanting to witness his punishment, his death, is how I’m still managing to remain in this room. But it doesn’t make this any less painful.

Slice.

Slice.

Slice.

By the time Dad is out of fingers, he’s gasping. It’s so different from Rafael’s paced breaths, and especially the slightdrip drip dripof blood.

Despite Rafael’s obvious presence, Dad’s focus remains on me. His head still upright, his teeth clamped together as he fights through the pain.

“I’m done,” Rafael announces, passing the blooded knife to Rosen, who comes around to the front of Dad. “Your turn, man.”

“This will be quick. For drugging Aurora, you bastard.” Rosen pulls his arm back and sends a firm punch to Dad’s face that has a loudcrackfilling the room. Della’s hit was nothing compared to the effect of this one. Dad’s head snaps back, his eyes fluttering shut. The drip of blood from his nose that Della activated is made worse and more gushes between his lips. But Rosen’s right there, slapping Dad back to consciousness. “No escape for you. Not yet.”

Once Dad’s focused again, though barely, through heavy pants and unfocused eyes, Rosen steps away.

No one else moves. Nico glares down at Dad, and Dad manages to centre his gaze upwards, breaths heavy and deep.

“Noth…nothin’ to say, Corsetti?”

“No. Because I have so much to say to you, but I’m fucking done. There’s been too much pain, too much death, and I’m done wasting my time on you.”

From his side, Nico pulls a gun. He cocks it, angles it right at Dad’s forehead.

No!

No…not yet.

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